The following stocks were among the most active in the
Italian market today.

Astaldi SpA (AST IM) advanced for a second day this week,
gaining 1.9 percent to 4.86 euros. A group of companies led by
Astaldi signed a contract for the extension of the planned line
5 of Milan’s subway, according to a statement.

Astaldi said its share of the contract is about 440 million
euros ($607 million), while the share of Finmeccanica SpA’s
Ansaldo STS SpA (STS IM) and Ansaldo Breda units will be 156
million euros. Ansaldo added 0.3 percent to 10.90 euros.

Benetton Group SpA (BEN IM) retreated for a fifth day,
falling 2.2 percent to 4.65 euros. Italy’s largest clothing
maker was downgraded to “underperform” from “neutral” at
Exane BNP Paribas, which said in a note that better-than-expected revenue has been “overshadowed by profitability
decline in 2010.”

Intesa Sanpaolo SpA (ISP IM), Italy’s second-biggest bank,
dropped 2.9 percent to 2.48 euros, a first drop this week.
UniCredit SpA (UCG IM), the country’s biggest, slid 2.1 percent
to 1.85 euros. France called for the use of bond buybacks to
stem the European debt crisis, splitting with Germany on the eve
of a summit meant to project a unified stance on quelling market
turmoil.

IT Way SpA (ITW IM) plummeted 14 percent to 2.58 euros,
erasing yesterday’s gain. The company approved a share sale for
as much as 16.7 million euros.

Telecom Italia SpA (TIT IM) fell for the first day in
three, losing 1.6 percent to 1.06 euros. Exane BNP Paribas,
which has a “neutral” rating on Italy’s biggest phone company,
suggested investors to “take profit ahead of numbers.” The
company is due to publish results on Feb. 24.